


Dragon's Promise

by 1lostone



Category: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey, Star Trek RPF
Genre: (not between Chris or Zach), Alternate Universe - Dragons, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragons, Hurt/Comfort, I would be sorry but I have no shame, M/M, Miscommunication, Originally Posted 2012, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, canon-typical abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 11:34:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7506733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1lostone/pseuds/1lostone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dragonrider Zachary Quinto is very happily single and is not looking for love. That is, until new stableboy, Chris Pine, is hired to tend to Zach's dragon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dragon's Promise

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Orig posted 2012, and I took down all my fic because people were dicks. :D Some lovely people have convinced me to give it another go, now that RPF is slightly less stigmatic.
> 
> Written for [ pintoharlequin](http://pintoharlequin.livejournal.com/). My apologies to Anne McCaffery, anyone who has ever dreamed of Pern, Jesus, God and all of the saints, but when I saw this prompt I actually squeed. I haven’t read the books in awhile-- I made it to the _Gnats of Pern_ and had to give it a rest, so any mistakes are mine. Consider this very, very, **_very_** loosely based on that ‘verse.
> 
> (For those of you who came into the fandom a little late, the [ pintoharlequin](http://pintoharlequin.livejournal.com/) is just what it sounds like.... Harlequin-style romance novels featuring Pinto. :D Lots of amazing fic is there!

 

 

** **

 

* * *

I don’t know what possessed me. I mean, _I_ wasn’t a dragonrider. I’m not much of anything, really.  Especially now. But when I saw the Blue, curled up and emitting a faint _wuff_ of pain, I acted before I could think my whole way through it.

Can’t say that was particularly new either.

Before my next heartbeat, I pushed aside the other drudges and had jumped the little stone divider with nothing in my hand but the bowl of water I had been sent to fetch by one of my betters.

I could see the problem immediately, but a lifetime of being told that if ‘I didn’t mind my manners, a dragon would take me away and eat me’ kept me fairly cautious. The _wuff_ of pain turned into a _hiss_ of warning and I froze so quickly that I sloshed the water out of the bowl and onto my tunic.

The pupil of the jewel-colored eye closest to me narrowed as he focused on me and I knew my heartbeat had to be audible, but I kept my voice low as I tried to explain.

“I... I won’t hurt you. Can I have a look at your sore?”

The head moved, cocked to the left and the Blue snorted a breath that blew my hair back from my face and sent my tunic fluttering, but it didn’t look like it was going to have my skinny body for an after-supper snack. I took a cautious step forward, and another. I recognized the problem instantly.  

 Thread.  

It had burrowed under one of the wing ridges, and looked to have festered. I felt a spurt of fury for this Blue’s Rider for taking such terrible care of this beautiful creature.  I could see where the area around the threadscore had burned, where pus and other infected skin had attempted to heal over the mistreated hole in his hide.  

I was no stranger to the ravages of threadscore. My family had lived Holdless for turns, and we’d had to treat what we could for the survivors when Father had miscalculated where Thead would fall. I moved forward another step. I didn’t know much about dragons. Okay, I knew _nothing_ about dragons. But I did know that they were supposed to be cared for, healed and kept healthy by their Riders. How could someone be so lazy to let this poor creature suffer?

“Can you spread your wings for me?”

My voice was a tentative whisper, my nervousness at approaching a dragon overlayed by my desire to help the poor thing. One wing snapped out gracefully, sending the other drudges squawking in fear. The Blue couldn’t completely raise the other one. My lips tightened with disgust at the unknown Rider as I went to my belt for my eating knife.  They didn’t exactly give drudges the best utensils, but it was all I had. Hopefully the point would be sharp enough to lance the wound. I used the huge leg as a step up so that I could reach, and still had to scramble a bit to get where I need to. I used one of the huge ribs as a ledge, and still had to stretch a bit up his side to be able to get to the spot behind the wing.

The Blue let out a bellow of pain when I lanced the infected wound, and I lost my balance, tipping over and sliding down the huge ribcage. I landed painfully on my side, the knife flying across the holding room with a clatter.

“You _dare_?!”

The Hold steward’s angry shout sent me scrambling back; the kick made me protect my gut.  I should have known that I would be missed.  Drudges were expected to do as directed, and were punished harshly for disobedience. Another kick to my shoulder made me cry out, the protest escaping my my mouth before I could stop myself.  

“The dragon! It’s hurt!! I was just...”  

I curled up, trying to protect my face and my soft stomach. It wasn’t the first time the steward had shown me his less than perfect temper. I had angered him before, but never like this. One kick became another.

The second kick to my head brought a bright burst of light behind my eyelids. The last thing I heard was another roar of the Blue before blackness claimed me.

 

* * *

 

“Are you awake?”

The low voice was musical, yet still calming to my aching head. Still, I jumped a little, which sent my stomach churning. I knew I had done something wrong by the bright starbursts behind my eyelids. I wasn’t brave enough to open my eyes yet. It was all I could do to not send my head rolling off onto the floor.

“Slowly. You must move slowly. I can help you sit up. Are you thirsty? You took a pretty bad beating.” 

The dragon! Panic took me, sending me clutching the woman’s arm in my sudden fright.

“I wasn’t hurting him. He is sick. His wound was infected! I was just lancing it so that--”

“Shh. You must calm yourself.”

“He was hurt and no one was helping him! I don’t know much about weyrfolk, but shouldn’t his Rider...”

My words sent my head spinning, and quite unfortunately, my poor stomach lost its battle with whatever I had last eaten. The woman cursed under her breath and turned for a basin as I vomited. I thought I heard a different voice then, deep and resonating, concern making it bright in my mind like a newly uncovered glowbasket.

But, before I could focus on it, I lost myself in the blackness that rushed up to claim me.

 

* * *

 

The voice sounded strange to my ears. Echoy. Deep like when you shout down a well. It took me a second to realize that I wasn’t hearing a physical voice as much as I was feeling it throughout my entire body. It made my back teeth rattle.

I blinked awake again, fumbling for the pitcher of Klah that sat on the bed next to me. Most people would probably make a face at the disgusting, cold consistency, but I was used to it I guess. I shook my head, cautiously.

_“Do not be alarmed. You saved me, now it is only fair that I save you.”_

I blinked, looking around the dark room.

“What? Who—who is speaking?”

I might not have been the sharpest glow in the basket, but I knew it wasn’t a cause for rejoicing when you start to hear voices in your head. Hell, when that happened to Old Nayalh, my father drove him out of the caravan to make his way on his own. We’d found him two days later, dead from exposure and picked over by the local beasts.

 “That’s Cinna. He likes you.”

I whipped my head around at the low voice, breathing heavily with fright. My head, still not all the way healed from my earlier adventures with the Steward, began pounding again, like a sore tooth.

“Whoa, easy there.” The voice came closer and there was the muffled thud as a glowbasket was uncovered. “I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Zach, and I’m Cinna’s rider.”

I blinked again, then frowned. His calm confession made me furious. My people didn’t hold much with dragons, but I knew that they weren’t supposed to be overlooked. A wound like that could easily have grounded it... Cinna? forever. Some of that must have shown on my face, because Zach held up one hand placatingly, setting the glow by my cot.

“Cinna said that you weren’t very happy with me. I know. I have no excuse, other than being knocked senseless. I wasn’t awake to take care of him, Chris.”

Suspicion replaced the anger. “How did you know my name?”

Zach made himself comfortable, poking around the food on the small table and selecting a redfruit. “I told you. Cinna told me.”

“And Cinna’s the dragon.” Okay so my voice was suspicious. Who had ever heard of a dragon talking to anyone other than his Rider?

“Yes. Cinna’s the dragon. Well, that or your shell’s a bit more cracked than we thought and you’re hearing voices.” Zach bit the fruit and grinned at me, catching some of the juice with his finger as it ran down his chin. “Look. I just came to thank you. And Cinna wants you to come and talk to him when they let you out of here.” Zach’s grin faltered. “I’m sorry that you were hurt while trying to care for him.”

Yeah. So was I.

To my surprise, this Zach leaned forward and tightened his hand around my forearm. Rather than pull away from his touch, as was my wont, I had to hide a shiver. It must be the numbweed they gave me reacting with whatever had made me so sleepy. His hand seemed strangely warm and I froze, all at once nervous.

“Chris.”

His voice darkened as he leaned forward, so closely that I could smell the redfruit on his breath. “I have requested that F’lar allow me to have you moved to assist with Cinna’s care, should you wish it.”

I blinked, not understanding what Zach had said. Then understanding was just as shocking as the taste of the Klah; almost as biting as a sharp slap to the face. “You wish me for a.. Dragon Keeper?”

Zach nodded, tossing the redfruit core to the table before nodding. “You would sleep near Cinna’s pen. You will assist me with tending him, with keeping him fed and his living space clean.”

Hope blossomed in my chest. I was able to ignore the soreness of my body for a moment as my cracked lips stretched in the beginnings of a smile. Then reality crashed back down, and I fell back against the rushes, feeling hollowed out with the realization of reality.

“That is.. very generous.” I almost don’t even recognize my own voice. It’s low, raspy with disuse and soreness. There must have been a breeze in the small room because I saw Zach shiver slightly, shifting slightly in his chair. “But it is not possible.”

Zach’s eyebrow tilted. He didn’t look like someone whose orders were often ignored.

I licked my lips, knowing that whatever camaraderie I had imagined between Zach and myself was about to end. Dragonriders were the most noble of men, after all. “My family is... holdless. _Was_ holdless.” A parceled drudge could not claim family. Even though I hadn’t been particularly close to any of my sibs, nor my father, or the uncles and their families, it still took a bit to remember. “After my father sold me into service to pay off his debts, he made certain that I could not leave the employ of the Weyr by ensuring that I was parceled.” I heard Zach’s sharp, indrawn breath as I leaned forward, showing the intricate mark on the back of my shoulder. I had only seen it once, as it was being burned into my skin. A mark of shame, even with the drudges. Usually used for criminals who needed to pay off a debt. A mark that promised servitute, no... _slavery_ to whoever wore it.

It was a status that did not change. I would drudge for the Hold’s steward for the rest of my days. My father’s debts had assured that I belonged directly to the Steward, not the Hold. I’d been sold for an honor-debt and a financial debt; there would be no relief for me until too many turns had gone by for me to enjoy my freedom.

_“Humph. Enough of that. You can believe that if my rider wants your... assistance, then have it he shall.”_

The dragon’s, Cinna’s, voice still echoed in my mind, as though he had shouted it down the length of a tunnel. It was deep, yet seemed to resonate inside me, like the ring of a bell. The tone was mildly interested, as though I had said something in passing that he found amusing.  

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m sure he can be made to see reason. I wish your help. _Cinna_ wishes your help.” Zach smiled, as though changing over my duties and servitude had already happened. His brush against my shoulder was quite friendly, and he was good enough to ignore my initial flinch.

Not wishing to argue with him (I had learned that almost my first night there- never, ever argue with your betters, for no discussion, no matter how logical would go in my favor), and trying desperately to tramp down the bizarre spurt of hope that Zach’s careless words had invoked in me, I simply nodded, keeping my counsel to myself.

 

* * *

 

To say that I was shocked when two days later found myself and my meager belongings installed within Cinna and Zach’s apartments would have been something of an understatement.

I don’t know exactly what happened; but even some of the whispers reached me. Whispers of a “discussion” between Zach and my former owner. A discussion that involved some strong words and a lot of marks. Certainly the way the Steward sneered at me, mumbling something under my breath about being bought and paid for seemed to indicate that the amount Zach spent was a significant one. His clenched fists promised a swift retribution if I was ever foolish enough to be caught overlong in his presence. I was no fool. Scurrying out of my former quarters was almost surreal. I didn’t like having him at my back, but ignored my instincts in favor of moving while I still could. My body was still sore from his beating.  I did not care to repeat the experience.

I ignored the drudges’ whispers, an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. Growing up Holdless had had its own problems, but trying to understand the ways of these Dragonriders was even more problematic. Was my status upgraded to that of a bedservant? The Steward had been adamant that he didn’t care for men, or I had no doubt that he would have used my body as much as he made use of my strong back.  

But I had no other answers for why Zach would have insisted that I be reassigned, even going so far as to pay off my father’s debt. Is that...?

My duties were fairly easy. Cinna required quite a bit of care, but it was nothing like I was used to doing. He took care of keeping his pen clean. I had at first supposed that Dragons were a bit like the pampered cats that some of the Ladies kept; dropping their.. er... business in a corner of the pen. That wasn’t the case of course. Cinna was obviously more intelligent than most humans of my acquaintance. My other duty was to make sure that Cinna’s skin was oiled every few days. Because of the amount of heat produced when they flamed Thread, dragon skin was quite fragile. Itchy dragons made for miserable dragons, and miserable dragons made for grouchy dragonriders.

Grouchy dragonriders, indeed.

If I hadn’t been responsible for cleaning up Zach’s few belongings, I wouldn’t have seen him. That was probably the best, considering my... actions. I had been terrified that if I didn’t do everything in my power to keep Zach happy, that I would be back in my former circumstances before I could say ‘possessive.’

So, I had cleaned myself (one other benefit of my new owner was that I could bathe whenever I wished, unlike before where only the food servants were allowed to clean themselves regularly), had stripped off my clothes and had slid between the sheets on Zach’s bed, nervousness and disgust and a strange, trembling want mixing in my stomach. When Zach slid in beside me, and I had turned over to begin woodenly kissing him, Zach had responded with a certainty that made me feel equal bits disgusted at being right- that this was to be part of my new duties, and breathless at the way my body reacted, coming alive under Zach’s kisses and caresses. I hadn’t expected that.

Unfortunately, Zach must have been eerily perceptive, since my reluctance forced him to stop mid-kiss, frowning down at me. Then he’d been off of the bed, looking furious for just a moment. I couldn’t help myself, cringing a little as I looked up with him, humiliated and miserable that I had made such a mistake. He didn't want me. _Shells_.

Zach had made himself scarce after that.  He had taken Cinna and flown off, only to return almost a fortnight later. He treated me with a brittle respect, and had made it _very_ clear that my duties  here were very _clearly_ not those of a bedmate.

Since then, I have tried to be absolutely meticulous in my duties. The easygoing, confident Zach from when I was hurt was gone, leaving behind a Zach who seemed strangely polite and completely distant. I didn’t let myself think about all of the reasons that Zach had not wanted to bed me, instead trying to focus on keeping him happy in a way that wouldn’t disgust him. This went on for several months, until the two of us had perfected the dance of ignoring each other. It was pretty uncomfortable at times. I was too embarrassed to talk to Zach, scurrying out of his eyesight whenever he seemed as though he wanted to speak to me. Zach continued to keep himself busy, only speaking to me only when absolutely necessary.  

It went on like this for several weeks until the Fates decided... enough was enough.

 

* * *

 

Zach had been hurt. I didn’t quite know what to do with my hands, nervous and clutching at the rags that I had set aside. Thread had been as brutal as always, and all I wanted was to be certain that my two charges were well and good before falling on my face in an exhausted slump. 

Another Dragonrider whose name I didn’t know barked orders to me, orders to make sure that Cinna was okay, to order numbweed and wine to Zach’s quarters.  Cinna was already assuring me that he was fine, that it was Zach who had taken a direct hit, worry-darkening his mind-voice to a deep purple instead of the normal deep blue of his normal speaking voice. I ran, fairly snatching the things I thought that I would need and darting back to Zach’s rooms with my heart pounding in my chest.

It took several hours, but the treadscore was removed and Zach finally slept the sleep of the healing. Only then had I allowed myself to shake... reaction bringing tears to my eyes.  I found the liniment and began on Zach’s back, trying to take out my guilt on his tight muscles. Living Holdless was bad, but living in the weyr and knowing that we were only safe because of people like Zach and dragons like Cinna, whose bravery caused them nothing but anguish and scarring, painful wounds...

“Mmm. I don’t think I can sleep anyway. This is much nicer than drinking myself into a stupor. Cinna told me that you were quite good with your hands. If I had known how good, I admit that I would have been... _mm_... jealous.”

The sleepy purr of his voice had a rather predictable effect on my body. Feeling greatly daring, I bent to kiss the very back of his neck.  Zach tensed under me.

“I am. I could show you...”  

I almost rolled my eyes. I sounded like a silly, moon-struck heroine in some badly-written play.  But, when Zach turned so that he was on his back, and I was bent over him on my knees, staring up at me with eyes gone almost fully pupil with want, any trailing embarrassment left me.  Instead, I leaned forward, my slick hands on his shoulders as I pressed my ass against his thickening hardness, my eyes fluttering a little at the obvious evidence that he seemed to want me as much as I wanted him. There was a small bandage over his neck, and one on his back shoulder, but I don’t think Zach cared.

“You have no idea how much I’ve dreamed of you, just like this.” I bent down again and kissed him, the position somewhat awkward. I didn’t know how to describe it. His kiss did something low to my stomach, and oh gods, how I wanted more of it. More of him.

“I might.” My whisper was soft in the dim room, lit only by the half-muted glowbaskets. I reached back and tightened my hand around him, watching the shock and lust on his face.  Zach’s hands clamped around my waist, and I fumbled for the slick stuff I’d been rubbing on his long, hard body, coating him as best I could from the position I held.  Without speaking, Zach took it from my hands and prepared my body, stretching and making sure that it wouldn’t hurt, kissing and licking at my mouth as though he were starving for the taste of me.

I was completely useless, my earlier forwardness completely leaving me as I panted and moaned at his touches, wanting him inside of me more than I wanted my next breath.  He moved slowly, making room for himself inch by careful inch until I was seated directly on top of him, not a whisper of breath between our connected bodies. I moved and it was Zach’s turn to moan, falling back against the bedrushes as he arched up. I moved again, greedily taking my pleasure, holding myself up with one hand as I stroked  myself with the other until we both lost ourselves in each other.

Breathless, I shifted, listening to Zach’s heartbeat.  I could hear Cinna rumbling out in his pen and felt the most perfect contentment as I lay there.  But when I awoke to a sticky, sore body and a hungry dragon, Zach was nowhere to be found.

I confess, I lacked the knowledge of what to do. Clearly Zach had not felt what I had. I had been a convenient use of attention. I knew from others that riders frequently felt that urge after a successful Flight, and it had been quite foolish of me to pretend, even if just to myself, that anything otherwise was possible.  Once again, I became an expert at avoiding him.  We only spoke when duty demanded it, both of us refusing to look the other in the eye for our brief conversations.

Cinna, of course, had other ideas.

 

* * *

 

 _“A little to the left.”_  

I had no idea how a creature whose entire head was larger than a house could look at me with such a wheedling look, but Cinna managed. I rolled my eyes and stretched up, feeling the muscles in my shoulders stretch as I tried to reach the one spot on Cinna’s back that he’d insisted was bothering him. I’d had the good sense to strip down to my smallclothes so that I wouldn’t get one of my two tunics and hose filthy.  The oil was one that the Healers made up, and it smelled amazing.  It had the faint scent of the liniment I’d used on Zach that night, and I had to bite my lip to ignore the memories. I didn’t know much about herbs and spices, but it smelled dark and sensuous, and warmed in the heat of his pen had an almost leathery scent. 

The first time I had rubbed it into Cinna’s skin, the dragon had all but purred much like his rider, stretching and maneuvering so that I would get every inch of his body, even going so far to flop over on his back and tilt his head back so that I could get his long neck.

If the dragon was this much of a sensualist, no wonder his rider had made me feel like my bones had melted inside of my skin. 

Cinna had been in and out of my mind so much that I hardly even twitched anymore when he said something.  By now, I had been around the weyr long enough now to know that it wasn’t completely unheard of to have a dragon mindspeak to someone besides his rider, but nor was it the norm by any stretch of the imagination. I didn’t attach any special significance to it, though.  It made my job much easier, and to be honest it was kind of... nice to have someone to talk to.

_“Harder, Chris. Use the brush if you must.”_

I hid my smile as I stretched a little further. The oil already on his skin was not completely absorbed, so it tended to get all over my abs and torso as I bent and stretched over the blue hide, attempting to find all the really itchy places. Cinna made a sound that could only be called a purr as I found the annoying spot, digging into it with my brush. My fingernails would have been about as effectual on his skin as dandelion fluff on a piece of stone, but the heavy-thistled brush seemed to do the trick. The hot air from the open end of the pen blew across my skin, sending the scent of the oil swirling around the room so that I could almost taste it.  Cinna sighed and made a little ticking sound in the back of his throat, completely satisfied. I was sliding down his huge foreleg, grinning, covered in oil and shaking my head at Cinna’s antics when I heard it.   I had always hoped that Zach would see me like this, working so hard to keep his dragon this content, and at least... _acknowledge_ my existence with something other than a quick, forced smile and an even quicker change of subject.

The heavy, measured step was one from my nightmares.

Not Zach.

Zach didn’t walk with that heavy, menacing tread.  Even after all this time, I still dreamed of the Steward’s cruelty. I froze like any other hunted prey, pressing my back to Cinna’s flank. Goosebumps covered my overheated skin at the menace in his eyes. I was afraid to look away from his hated face.  I could see that the fact that I was making direct eye-contact infuriated him, but this strange mixture of petrification and disgusted fury kept my gaze on his. I was afraid to look away, lest the snake strike.

“I see your... duties are over for the evening.  Your pet dragonrider isn’t even here, so there will be no interruptions this time.”

This time.  

I shifted a little, turning away from Cinna.  Knowing that this man was unpredictable and violent only made me feel sick, but knowing that he would have no qualms about harming Cinna, even if it was just to get to Zach made my _heart_ hurt.  I took another step away from Cinna, shivering a little in the open air of the dragon’s pen.  

The weyr had been built in a long-dormant volcano, with several open areas blasted into the rock so that the dragons could enter and leave at their whim. It was also one of the reasons I had thrived working here; being able to see sunlight regularly, even to feel its rays as I worked in the rock and sand of Cinna’s pen was pure bliss.

“I don’t know why you’re here, m’lord, but it would be wise for you to leave.”

The Steward’s mouth twisted. “You’re that sure of your place here? How very interesting, since your beloved Rider was the one who suggested that I come and collect you.”

Cinna made a sleepy protest. One giant eye lid lifted slightly, before closing again.  The Steward completely ignored the dragon, going so far as to step closer to the giant scaled face, still completely blissed out and sunning in the heat shining in from the outside. Somehow, I had placed myself in just the perfect spot to see the bright glint of sun on the blade of The Steward's knife. With a sinking heart, I knew exactly what the bitter little man had in store for Zach’s beloved Cinna. 

It was the same trick he did with his runnerbeasts, pigs and the poultry under his care. He would blind them with one cruel twist of his knife, viciously making certain that they would not run away from his ownership.  It was something he had threatened me with; had come close to doing twice while in his cups. Only him passing out had saved me. The beating I had received had been a blessing, comparatively. At least while he was sober he knew that I would not be able to work if blinded.

I rushed him with a yell, tackling him before I even really thought about it.  He was so much larger than me, the muscle of his youth turning to fat in his later years.  His breath was foul as we rolled, sour with onions and old wine. I was strong. He was stronger. The knife skittered out of his hand as he rolled with me, pinning me to the ground and knocking the back of my head against a rock. I saw stars, and he was able to flip me again, rolling so that my head and shoulders looked down onto the endless abyss below the Weyr. I couldn’t quite hear over the panicked beat of my heart, but I thought I heard my name, heard the ear-splitting scream of a furious Cinna as it echoed loudly enough to send my wits flying. I thought I caught a glimpse of Zach’s lithe body standing in his riding leathers as I was pushed over the side of the edge of Cinna’s pen, able to catch myself with my toes- hanging onto the edge like a goat.

Only pure stubbornness kept my hand on the Steward’s arm. I felt my nails gouge bloody furrows  his forearm as I hung on. My eyesight was still blurry, either from sweat and grit from the floor of the pen or from the knock to my head, but I was _not_ going to let this man hurt Cinna.

Unfortunately for both of us, his balance was terrible. His weight pulled at me, and we both went over the edge.

I was too terrified to scream. Hot wind pulled at me. I finally let go of the Steward as I spun out and over, trying to hold onto the very air around me as though I could keep myself from falling.

There was another scream of pure fury, and a sound like thunder over me. I could only blink as Cinna grabbed me carefully in his mouth, tossing me up and back, so that his long, beautiful body was under me. I landed on his back with a force strong enough to jar the very breath from my body, but somehow I had the wits to hang onto his neck ridge as he opened his wings with a great roar, swooping up and clawing with his wings to come out of the plummeting dive, using his wings to push him up into the air.  

I laughed. I couldn’t seem to help myself. Cinna gained height, passing the Weyr and seeming to fly straight for the very sun.  “You. .. this....”

I couldn’t even talk, so overwhelmed was I by his complete and utter magnificence.  I had never before felt so free, so humbled and joyous and terrified all at once.  If Zach was able to experience this every day, no _wonder_ he was so utterly amazing. Cinna must have flown for a full  candlemark before he turned around and began going back towards his weyr.

I had gotten myself under control by then.  The temperature had cooled quite a bit once the sun began to lower in the sky, and I was hardly dressed for an extended flight on a dragon. He landed in his own pen with a great plume of air, bits of sand and gravel flying up to whirl around a pacing, furious-looking Zach.  He looked at me, his dark eyes flashing with something that made all of my earlier joy trail out of me like water through a sieve.

My mouth was completely dry, and when I tried to speak I couldn’t get the words out. “Zach...” I hastily slid off the dragon, wishing for my clothes.  It was somehow even more humiliating to be here nearly naked in the low light from the setting sun.

Zach whirled and stalked towards me.  I cringed, stepping back against Cinna without thinking. I didn’t know the penalties for making off with a dragon, but I assume that they would be quite painful. Even moreso would be knowing that when Zach struck me, deserved or not, it would shatter the small thing inside of me that kept me trying to gain Zach’s approval by working myself to exhaustion for both him and his dragon.

I tensed when I felt his hands on my shoulders. “You... you... _idiot_! You could have been _killed_!” Zach’s fingers tightened, giving me a slight shake. “By the first Egg,  I thought my heart stopped when you rolled out of the pen with that piece of....” Zach trailed off and I found myself hugged to him in a tight embrace.  “Cinna told me what... that he... _Gods_!”  Zach stepped away and whirled, pulling at his hair with trembling hands. One step, then two and I missed the heat of his body with something akin to actual pain.

“I..I didn’t.. I mean I couldn’t let him hurt Cinna! Please, sir. You have to believe that I never meant to...”

“Never meant to what, Chris?  Fall off a bloody mountain? I watched that foul piece of shit fall to his death and if Cinna hadn’t been one of the quickest dragons since Ramoth’s third clutch, you’d be right beside him, crushed to red pulp on the rocks!" Zach took another step away, finally seeming to see me.  “You’re... you’re hurt. I’ll get the Healer. You’ve been through... and here I am shaking you...” he trailed off, muttering under his breath, a look of disgust on his face.

I watched him as he got ready to walk out of the pen, and knew if he did so, there would be no fixing this. Yet I was too paralyzed to move.  I wanted to, surely. But taking that first step was just as terrifying as falling off the side of the mountain. I had made a fool out of myself already by sliding into Zach’s bed, unwanted. This was...

Cinna, however, was nothing if not expedient.  

With a snort and a huff of hot air through his great nostrils that sent my hair blowing all around my head he nudged me.  And not gently, either. My arms pinwheeled crazily to keep my balance, but I still fell into Zach’s arms with a grunt, Cinna’s head resting only inches from us, his great jeweled eyes whirling gently.

 _“You humans. Why must you make everything so complicated? Zach, you have this one convinced you are disgusted by him, after reacting like a goose-girl seeing a cock for the first time when you found him in your bed, then ignoring him after you mated.  You’re so in love with him that quite frankly you’re putting me off my feed. It’s nauseating.  Chris, Zach feels that he has coerced you into wanting to mate with him. He thinks you feel you have to, because of the amount of money he spent to free you from that great fat piece of dragon dung.”_  

Cinna snorted again at our matching sheepish looks and bright-red cheeks.  

 _“Humans. It’s amazing that your race made it off the trees."_ His mind voice sounded both amused and disgusted.

I couldn’t help the laugh. Zach’s own face was just as red as mine.  I had to catch my breath before I spoke.

 “Truly?” My voice was dark with all that I wanted, but still could not say.

“Truly, Chis. You are...” Zach reached out to touch my cheek, lightly- a caress that made my heart pound in my chest. “Dragonriders own no property you know. You are, completely and utterly, free. Should you wish to leave...”

I shook my head.  “No! I mean, no. I don’t think I could bear leaving... you. I love you, Zach.”

 _“And the glorious dragon,”_ Cinna jumped in, sending so that we both heard it.

“And this glorious dragon,” I confirmed, smiling.  And this time, when I kissed Zach, I knew exactly how to describe it.  

 

  
Like flying.

 

 

 

 

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Art by  **sarahphym**. Please click on the picture to leave them love!  <3 

 

[ ](http://pintoharlequin.livejournal.com/3342.html#cutid1)

 

**Author's Note:**

> 2016 Edit. I edited for grammar, and those weird tense things that I can't seem to stop. Gah. Hope you liked it! ♥♥


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